Sharing My Story

One of the scariest moments in life is sharing your story of the moment that changed your world.  Will you be able to express it clearly?  Will people understand that the focus is not on where you've been but where you are now?  Will God get the glory for the miracles in your life?  Will people see what God has done and all the good things and not focus on the tragedy?  Terrifying.  Even more terrifying is a long interview that is edited into short clips.  Will they accurately portray what I am trying to say?  Well, they did.  God  does not get the glory, but He will if you talk to me personally.  :)  Did I really expect much difference from a State University?

I remember the terror of planning this interview.  I remember having to prepare myself by wearing my favorite color.  No,  the purple is not for KSU.  It is for me to give me confidence and a feeling of power.  When I got the CD of the finished product, I was pleased to find I could even review it.  I really have a hard time watching myself or listening to a recording of myself.  The voice in my head is so much different from the voice you can hear. But, since it is all subtitled, I could turn the volume down and watch the subtitles instead of my face.  That made it a bearable experience for me.  :)

They kept promising me that they would take care of anything during editing and make me look good.  I'm not sure I completely believed them, but they managed to do just  that.  If you want to hear the story of the accident, please listen to it here.  That way, when we get together, we can just talk about life and what is current for both of us.  :)
If you want to watch these, be patient, sometimes it takes a few minutes to load.

And, check out the whole site.  There is some pretty valuable information about TBI.  Maybe it will help you see me in a different light.

http://www.tbioptions.ksu.edu/Knowledge/p.aspx?tabid=34


What was your experience exploring this website?
Did you learn anything about TBI?
Do you have a story about something that changed your world?
What was your experience sharing it with others?

Silence

"We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.  See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence . . . We need silence to be able to touch souls."  Mother Teresa

How do we find silence in this noisy world?
How do I help my children find silence?
How do I find silence for myself when I am never alone?
Any good ideas out there?

Excellence

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
-Aristotle

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Cave of the Winds

Finally, Eric's pick for our Colorado vacation.  Cave of the Winds--a perfect place for our rock hounds and for our daughter to experience since she got her Geology badge in scouts this year.  It is not wheelchair accessible (of course), so Azure and I waited upstairs and I read my book.  Our daughter said it was a good thing I didn't go, because even if I could walk, I couldn't fit. Imagine her surprise when she found out I have been down there before.  :)

Of course, no trip to a mine is complete without a little panning for treasures once you're done.  Fortunately, Cave of the Winds provides the opportunity for that to happen.  You can by a bag of stuff in the gift shop and the use the water trough outside to see if you have any treasure.  I think this was the kiddos favorite part.  :)

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Colorado Hot Air Balloon Festival

It was my turn for my choice on our Colorado vacation.  We happened to be in Colorado Springs the same weekend as the Colorado Balloon Classic.  We started our balloon experience by attending the Balloon Glo on Sunday night.  We have been to hot air balloon festivals before, but never with so many balloons and never with such an air of festivity.  We arrived at the park to watch the Balloon Glo and found food vendors and hundreds of people sitting on the ground to watch the balloons.  Anticipation was in the air.  Then, the balloons  were inflated and stood up in honor of the military.  It was quite a sight.

The great news was that we could watch the Balloon Launch Monday morning from our hotel parking lot.  We couldn't see the balloons actually launching, but we could watch them in the air. :)  What an amazing sight and a great way to begin Labor Day!!!

Smokey the Bear

What are your hot air balloon experience?
What is the best hot air balloon you've ever seen?
Have you ever stayed in a hotel and had a wonderful bonus experience?
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North Pole City/Santa's Workshop

Our son's pick for our Colorado trip was Santa's Workshop at North Pole City.  We have never been there as a family.  We tried to go when our daughter was 3 and we were in Colorado for a wedding.  But, she was a little terrified of Santa at that point, so we didn't subject her to that torture.  But, this time around, both kiddos were excited to go check it out.  It's a good way we weren't in a big hurry, because traffic up the mountain to North Pole City crawled at a snail's pace.  Heading up the mountain must be a popular tourist event--there were tons of cars but not all of them stopped at North Pole City.  Crawling at a snail's pace probably keeps everyone safe.  I don't think I'd want to travel the mountain roads any faster.

The trip to North Pole City was our first real glimpse of some of the fire damage from this summer.  We did  not go up close to see the damage, but could see the burned trees during out trip up the mountain.  https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPpHueRRjK30kWJoWBFKLXTBbwpaEeEZwsttidwa6G88JaJ52UkA

We did get to see helicopters dropping seeds, fertilizer, etc., everything needed to hopefully start regrowth before the rainy seasons.  All who were spared damage from the fires were so grateful to the firefighters.  There were thank you signs all the way up the mountain.  Colorado had been through a traumatic summer.

Our trip to North Pole City was an experience for me and Azure.  It was the first attraction we've ever been to that gave us a paper about Service Dogs.  Good to know we were officially welcomed in all shops, food areas, show houses, and Santa's house.  :)  Also good to know that I wasn't allowed to take him on any rides.  Can you really imagine Azure seat belted beside me in a roller coaster???  :)  Or, sliding down the peppermint slide?  Oh wait, I can't get on them myself anyway.  So, we didn't ride any rides (or plan to).  I'm glad the park was kind enough not to charge admission for me in my wheelchair.  I wasn't planning on riding any rides anyway. I'm thankful that as a wheelchair momma, I can still take my kids to enjoy attractions in Colorado and not have to pay for things I am unable to enjoy fully.   We spent the day watching the kiddos on their rides and trying to find accessible pathways through the park and stay out of the rain.  (We weren't always successful).  We did follow instructions and stay away from the animals.  Makes me wonder if we would be welcome at a zoo??  Anybody out there know?  He did absolutely wonderful and even managed getting run into by a kid running down the mountain with grace.  He did better than I think I might have if I had been the one hit.  He just looked up curiously and then graciously let the kid pet him while I talked to the mom.  What a sweetheart!!!  If we could ALL learn to forgive and love again so freely when accidents occur.

The rides were tons of fun and the type of rides our kiddos enjoy most of all.  Unfortunately, our daughter was too tall for some of the rides.  But, she was fine to ride her favorite ride (the carousel) and spent time shopping with me.  It was so fun to hear Christmas music all through the park, see the Christmas themed rides, and even visit the North Pole.  We still didn't visit Santa's House, but walking by it was no big deal.  We came home with all kinds of great ideas for our hometown--The Christmas City of the High  Plains.

http://santas-colo.com/

Concentrating hard--Check out my tongue

The North Pole was really made of ice.  Good things the kiddos tongues never really touched it or we might have had a "Christmas Story" moment on our hands.

What are your experiences with Colorado this summer?

How did the fires affect you or those you know?

Have you had experiences with kids scared of Santa?  How did you help them overcome that fear?

What are some other "must see" attractions for a wheelchair momma and her family?

What are your favorite amusement park rides?

How can you celebrate Christmas all year?

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